Guest Commentary: All Character is Local

Saturday

Dec 23, 2017 at 12:29 AM

By Dr. Peter Folan

“All politics is local” was an adage that reverberated throughout my household growing up as the former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Thomas P. O’Neill was revered. We now live in a world where the political landscape has grown increasingly dark and foreboding, a far cry from Tip O’Neill’s era. Working in a school, I can attest that our students feel this tension and are unsure of what to make of it. So, during this holiday season, I am proud to share a bit of hope and joy generated from the efforts of some amazing high school students and teachers that should provide an important alternative perspective on today’s political landscape.

As educators and parents, we have an obligation to help children find perspective and engage in important dialogue about real-world problems. Catholic Memorial School, the smallest and the most diverse school in the Catholic Conference, prides itself on educating the hearts and the minds of our students in order to graduate compassionate and caring men, who want to make a difference in the world.

To achieve this outcome, our school launched a Research Institute for Politics and Public Policy to help students collect and analyze data across disciplines. Our goal was to provide our students with the skills needed to search for truth. We are proud of our first project.

This fall, Catholic Memorial faculty and students wrote national polling questions that were distributed through a Suffolk University / USA Today poll. The results, analyzed by our students, presented some important findings. We expected that poll respondents (64 percent) would hold an unfavorable view of the U.S. Congress and the national discourse.

In the midst of the discord, a silver lining emerged, as the national data presented positive approval of the character and integrity of local elected officials (61 percent), local clergy (65 percent) and local police (82 percent). These statistics sparked great debate and dialogue in our mathematics, history, and theology classes.

The CM poll also highlighted an 85 percent approval rating of the character and integrity of members of one’s local community, while members of the national community garnered only 55 percent approval. Our students also discovered in their analysis a stark difference regarding views on police, who held an almost 82 percent approval rating locally compared to a recent Gallup Poll that found that just 57 percent of Americans have confidence in the police. Catholic Memorial students and faculty discovered that there was a disconnect between how Americans perceive situations locally versus nationally. The results provide real hope to our students and add perspective to a national conversation that can often feel bleak.

While the data is statistically significant, it also feels right and supports what our students express daily within our halls and how our young men feel about their classmates, parents and neighbors. Having integrity and character matters. Our students took pride that their research affirmed what they believed and profess themselves.

I have learned much from our research and our students; it has confirmed to me that the dedication of our faculty, parents, and community leaders does have an impact. We have an obligation to shape the future, and it starts on the local level.

We must act locally and support the good work done within our communities. There is no doubt that we must strive for constant improvement at both the local and national level. We must also never forget that the work we do in our individual spheres does make a difference. Progress happens one step at a time and starts within our local neighborhoods.

As educators, we understand this reality and hope that people from all vocations carry this belief in their hearts. Our country’s greatness is built upon the strength of our local communities, its anchor institutions, and the people who model strong values.

We must not lose hope in our world, but strive to cultivate character and integrity in all that we do. I am fortunate to witness this joy in the students that I encounter daily. I hope that each of you find that same joy and promise in your local community. It is there, if you look for it.

Given the results of this national poll, I will expand upon the wisdom of Speaker Tip O’Neill, to say, “all character is local.”

Dr. Peter F. Folan is the president of Catholic Memorial School in West Roxbury, MA. He is a former collegiate administrator, high school English teacher and wrestling coach. His academic expertise focuses on single-sex education, higher education and Catholic education.

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